Control unit for sailboat



United States Patent Inventor Jerry L. Bitney 2594 Leghorn, Mountain View, California 94040 Appl. No. 711,408

Filed March 7, 1968 Patented Aug. 18, 1970 CONTROL UNIT FOR SAILBOAT 3 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl. 114/162, 1 15/ l 8 Int. Cl B63h 25/06 Field ofSearch l 15/0.5; 74/492; 244/819; 115/18; 74/480B, 872, 873, 874; 200/ 1 57 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Paulus Rohacs Wickman Smith Shimanckas.

lngolia Kincannon Primary Examiner- Andrew H. Farrell Attorney-Townsend and Townsend zoo/157- 200/157 74/740 ABSTRACT: A control unit for a sailboat having a motor wherein a tiller has a shiftable handgrip and a manually actuated switch thereon with the switch being adjacent to the handgrip and in a position to be accessible as the handgrip is shifted.'The switch is adapted to control transmission gear changes of the motor and the handgrip is adapted to control the throttle setting ofthe motor.

Patented Aug. 18, 1970 3,524,423

Till/1111111117 JERRY LBITNEY WMW ATTORNEYS CONTROL UNIT FOR SAILBOAT This invention relates to improvements in boat controls and, more particularly, to a control unit for use with a sailboat having a motor.

The'present invention is directed to a boat tiller provided with a shiftable handgrip and a switch adjacent to the handgrip. The switch is carried on the end of the tiller and is adapted to be coupled to the gear transmission mechanism of a boat motor whereby the transmission gears can be shifted, such as from forward to neutral and from neutral to reverse. The handgrip is shiftable mounted on the tiller adjacent to the switch and is adapted to be coupled to the throttle mechanism of the motor, whereby changes in throttle setting can be achieved by shifting the handgrip relative to the tiller. The switch and handgrip are so positioned with respect to each other that the switch can be actuated and the handgrip can be shifted by one hand. The fingers of the hand, for instance, can hold the handgrip and shift the same while the thumb of the hand can operate the switch. The hand operation of the switch and grip can be accomplished even though the boat operator has his attention directed elsewhere.

The present invention, as utilized with an auxiliary sailboat, enables the helmsman of the boat to easily control the direction of movement and speed of the boat while maintaining his attention on the progress of the boat with respect to obstacles in the path of or near the boat. The invention thus provides for positive control and ease of operation of the boat under both sail power and engine power. The control unit of the invention provides maximum maneuverability of the boat with a minimum of manual handling and thereby increases the safety of the occupants thereof since the boat can be moved about more efficiently, a factor which is extremely important when the boat is to be moved in confined areas and during periods of emergency, such as during storms or the like.

The typical auxiliary sailboat operating under engine power is quite susceptible to lateral motion caused by the engine torque, the directional effects ofthe wind, and the current and tide of the water. lt is oftentimes necessary to use short bursts of power, to change frequently from forward to reverse of the engine, and to make frequent throttle changes to maneuver the boat sufficiently and safely during docking or while avoiding obstacles. Generally, the controls of the engine and the rudder on a typical auxiliary sailboat are at different locations and the helmsman must use both hands and sometimes a foot to operate the controls. It is difficult to operate all of these controls efficiently and still continue to observe the progress of the boat.

The present invention avoids these problems, especially when they are associated with the operation of an auxiliary sailboat and permits a boat operator to handle all of the necessary controls of the boat with only one hand, thus, leaving the operator's other hand free for other manual functions. The provision of the handgrip and the switch on the end of the tiller causes all three of these components to cooperate in a manner to permit the efficient control of the boat at all times and under all operating conditions.

The primary object of this invention is to provide an improved control unit for a sailboat having a motor wherein the rudder and motor controls can be operated by the helmsman with one hand only to thereby allow for fast and efficient changes in the progress of the boat to be accomplished while permitting the boat operator to fix his attention elsewhere rather than having to directly observe the controls to operate the latter.

Another object of this invention is to provide a control unit of the type described wherein a tiller is provided with a shiftable handgrip and a manually actuated switch immediately adjacent to the handgrip so that the tiller, the handgrip and the switch cooperate to permit efficient onehanded control of directional changes of the boat and of the changes in operation of the motor.

Other objects of this invention will become apparent as the following specification progresses, reference being had to the accompanying drawing for an illustration of a preferred embodiment of the invention.

ln the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary schematic view of a boat having the control unit of the present invention mounted thereon; and

FIG. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary cross-sectional view of the control unit.

The control unit of the present invention is denoted by a numeral l0 and includes a tiller 12 having means 14 for pivotally mounting the same on the stern of a boat 16 having a motor 18 provided with a rotatable drive shaft 20 whose rear end 22 has a propeller 24 thereon. A rudder 26 is secured to a lower stretch 28 of tiller 12, the latter having an upper end 30 provided with a shiftable handgrip 32 and a switch 34 (FIG. 2) in a housing 36 adjacent to handgrip 32.

Upper end 30 of tiller 12 is tubular to receive a tube 38 extending partially into the tiller (FIG. 2). Housing 36 of switch 34 is fixed to the outer end of tube 38 and presents an end face 40 which cooperates with handgrip 32 in a manner to be described. A sleeve 42 is coupled to end 30 of tiller 12 and surrounds a portion of tube 38 and a bushing 44, the latter being press-fitted into the outer end of sleeve 42 and provided with an annular flange 46 defining a shoulder adjacent to which the proximal end of handgrip 32 is disposed. Bushing 44 also has an annular groove 48 on the inner surface thereof for rotatably receiving an annulus 50 rigid to the proximal end of handgrip 32, the latter being tubular and in surrounding relationship to the outer end portion of tube 38 and in substantially spanning relationship to end face 40 of housing 36 and shoulder 46 of bushing 44.

The handgrip is rotatably mounted on tube 38 and is confined therein by end face 40 and shoulder 46 to permit the handgrip to be rotated in either direction without moving longitudinally of the tiller. The handgrip could be mounted on the tiller so that it is shiftable, longitudinally or otherwise, relative to the tiller. Such movement is adequate to shift the throttle cable hereinafter described. However, it is preferred that the. movement be rotary and the handgrip will be hereinafter described as being rotatable on the tiller.

Tube 38 has a longitudinally extending slot 52 therein in the regions surrounded by handgrip 32. A slider 54 is mounted in the slot and movable longitudinally thereof. Handgrip 32 has a longitudinally extending spiral projection 56 on its inner surface, projection 56 being shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2 and coupled with slider 54 for reciprocating the same relative to slot 52 as handgrip 32 is rotated in opposed directions.

A cable 58 is secured to one end of slider 54 and moves therewith. The opposite end of cable 58 is secured to the shiftable throttle mechanism 60 of motor 18 to vary the setting thereof in response to the rotation of handgrip 32. Tiller 12 has a passage 62 therethrough at least to a location 64 (FIG. I) to permit cable 58 to extend therethrough and to be essentially concealed and protected so as not to be interfered with.

Switch 34 may be of any suitable construction, but for purposes of illustration, it is an electrical component having a shiftable arm 66 movable into and out of any one of'three positions. Switch 34 is electrically coupled by conductor means 68 to an electrical circuit (not shown) disposed within a housing 70 and operably coupled to the transmission gear unit 72 of motor 18. The three positions of arm 66 correspond to the forward, neutral and reverse gear conditions of unit 72, the gear conditions being changed from one to theother by them manual manipulation of arm 66 to in turn cause a lever 74 to shift the gears in unit 72, such as by the operation of one or more solenoids or the like.

Housing 36 has a side opening 76 as shown in FIG. 2 and arm 66 projects at least to this opening so as to be accessible to the thumb or fingers of the hand as handgrip 32 is handheld. Arm 66 projects outwardly only a distance sufficient to effect the manipulation thereof and not so far as to be in a position to be accidentally moved. Thus, housing 36 provides a guard for arm 66 but allows the same to be readily accessible when the switch is to be actuated.

In use, control unit is mounted on boat 16 so that rudder 26 can be pivoted in a manner to cause directional changes of the boat. The control unit is especially adapted for use with sailboats having a built-in auxiliary motor power but it is also adapted for sailboats which can receive an outboard motor as optional equipment. Handgrip 32 is coupled by slider 54 and cable 58 to throttle 60 of motor 18 and switch 34 is coupled with transmission gear unit 72.

Handgrip 32 and switch 34 are in positions relative to each other to cooperate in a manner to allow one-handed operation of control unit 10. To this end, the boat operator can grasp handgrip 32 with the finger and operate switch 34 with the thumb while being able to pivot tiller 12 relative to boat 16 to shift rudder 26. Handgrip 32 can be rotated almost at the same time that switch 34 is actuated and as tiller 12 is rotated. Thus, throttle setting changes can be made while directional changes of the boat are effected and gear changes can be made to gear unit 72 without having to remove the hand from handgrip 32. Housing 36 and bushing 44 cooperate to maintain handgrip 32 in position to accomplish the one-handed operation of boat 16. Thus, the boat operator can operate the rudder, the throttle and the gear unit while continuously observing the progress of the boat. The boat operator is, thus, free to make other adjustments, such as manipulating the sails of the boat.

While one embodiment of this invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications of this device can be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

l claim:

l. A control unit for a sailboat having a motor provided with a shiftable throttle and an actuatable transmission gear unit having forward, neutral and reverse gear positions comprising: a tiller having means for rotatably mounting the same on the boat, said tiller having an outer end; a manually actuated,

three-position switch carried by the tiller at said outer end thereof, there being a switch position for each gear position, respectively, said switch adapted to be coupled to said gear unit for actuating the latter when the tiller is mounted on the boat; and a handgrip rotatably mounted on the tiller adjacent to the switch and adapted to be coupled to the throttle for shifting the same in response to the rotation of the handgrip relative to said tiller, and said switch, said handgrip being inwardly of said switch with reference to said outer end and in sufficient proximity to the switch to permit one-handed operation of said handgrip and said switch.

2. A control unit as set forth in Claim 1, wherein is provided a housing fixed to said outer end of the tiller and provided with an end face, said switch being disposed within said housing, the tiller having a shoulder spaced from said housing, said handgrip being disposed between and in proximity to said end face and said shoulder.

3. A control unit for a sailboat having a motor provided with a shiftable throttle and an actuatable transmission gear unit comprising: a tiller having a tubular outer end and a longitudinally shiftable slider, there being means on said tiller for rotatably mounting the same on the boat; a manually actuated switch carried by the tiller at said outer end thereof and adapted to be coupled to said gear unit for actuating the latter when the tiller is mounted on the boat; a handgrip rotatably mounted on the tiller adjacent to the switch and having means coupled to the slider for shifting the same in response to the rotation of said handgrip relative to said outer end; and a cable connected at one end to the slider and movable therewith, said cable adapted to be connected at its opposite end to said throttle for shifting the same in response to the rotation of the handgrip relative to said tiller, said handgrip being inwardly of said switch with reference to said outer end and in sufficient proximity to the switch to permit one-handed operation of said handgrip and said switch. 

